Waterproofing your stone basement wall is essential for a proper home environment. Water seeping in through the walls of your basement can cause structural damage and grow mold. This can not only be dangerous to your health, but it can also be costly due to the repairs that will be needed later down the road. Thankfully, waterproofing is an easy step that can be taken now before it is too late. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Patch any holes in the basement stone wall with your hydraulic cement. Simply push the cement into the cracks and crevices, making sure to pack and seal. Work quickly with this cement since it does become hard quickly. Doing this step will seal the holes and cracks from the water leaks. Allow the cement to dry before proceeding.
2. Paint the walls with sun-dry or dryloc paint using your masonry brush Stroke in any direction to cover the wall completely with paint. Allow it to dry completely before proceeding.
3. Cover the wall with a second coat of paint to ensure a good layer of water protection.
4. Inspect the exterior. Make sure all downspouts are away from the foundation as well. Lengthen the downspouts out and away from the foundation at a 3-feet minimum, more if possible. Use downspout extenders for this step. This will help keep your basement dry and lessen the static pressure of water on the outside of the foundation wall.
5. Look around the foundation for any low spots in the ground. Build up the foundation dirt so that it is graded away from your foundation. This also will help keep your stone wall basement waterproofed by keeping the water running away from the wall.
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